Ameer Abdullah Quotes 8-26-13

I-Back Ameer AbdullahOn the high expectations of him this season"Stick to the same process and prepare the same way I have my freshman and sophomore years. Just find little ways to get better every day."

On having all the defenses focused on him this year"It makes me feel good that people are recognizing me. It doesn’t really change what I do. I’m still going to prepare to make sure I put my team in the best position to win on Saturday."

On the younger guys providing some competition"I was in the same situation as the younger guys and (Terrell) Newby and (Adam) Taylor have both been doing a great job on the field and off the field in the film room. I could definitely see Newby get some playing time because he has some speed and is a very coachable guy. I could see him making some plays on Saturdays."

On his role in the return game"As far as I know, I will be doing most of the return duties. It all depends on how the game’s going and who we need back there. It all depends on the situation."

On his own self evaluation"Last year I definitely felt like I got my feet wet. I know I can get better in a lot of areas. We always watch film, and it’s never as good as you think and never as bad as you think. There’s a lot of things I need to get better at and as a whole, I feel like this fall camp I’ve been working on the little things more – getting back to the basics."

On the long offseason being over"I’m excited. It flew by for me. You always want enough time and you’re always anxious to get back to the football field. The offseason was good, but it’s time to play football now and I’m excited."

On if the team is ready for the season"I feel that we’ve been driving pretty good in fall camp. There a couple things we need to install from fall camp. Physically, I feel like we are ready to play, and on the mental side we still need to get the game plan set. As a whole, we are ready to play."

On knowing he is the starter"I feel like it is much easier to process things. A lot of times last year I was over-thinking things because I was young. I have a season under my belt now and I’m much more confident in what I can do, and I’m just excited to show everyone what we’ve been working on."

On having so many offensive weapons"I think at wideout we are as deep as we’ve ever been. We have guys who can fill-in so if someone goes down, we won’t miss a beat. Obviously, we’ve seen what Taylor’s been doing the last three years. Also, the backs can all make plays and putting all your attention on one guy will not be in your best interest if you’re playing against us."

On Wyoming having a poor rush defense"They have a new coordinator, so we don’t really know what to expect from them. I don’t like people to go off of what we did last year, so you never know from year-to-year what teams will do because they make so many changes. I’m definitely not going to take them lightly. They could come out with an all new front and we could struggle. If everyone is in the right place we could have a big day."

On having something to prove"I’ve always played with a chip on my shoulder. I’ve always been under the radar and I kind of prefer that. When you’re in the spotlight sometimes you aren’t focused. I like flying under the radar because then you are focused on what you need to do and accomplish."

On playing under the new East Stadium "It’s going to be insane. Fortunately, I like night games. Just to come out of the tunnel walk and look up at the new East Stadium is going to be great and the atmosphere will be great as always. I haven’t been up there yet but I need to get up there soon."

On having 26-straight season opening wins and avoiding a letdown"Not practicing what we’ve been doing in practice. If you just go back to the little things and focus on your assignment. You don’t need to rise to the occasion, you need to fall back into your training."